Reflector for headlights.



W. nw. L's. REFLECTOR ma hammams.'

APPLCATSON FILED MIGJ. l9i7.

@Mmmm 'Teh f, i918.

WALTER W. LETTS, 0F GORTLAND, NEW YORK.

REFLECTOR FOR HEADLIGHTS.

Maaate.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER W. Larra, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cortland, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reflectors for Headlights, of which the following is a specification. V

My invention is designed to prevent the objectionable glare from the headhghts of automobiles from being reected above va certain height from' the roadbed and thus render it impossible to blind the driver of an approaching machine. This has `proved a serious evil vroductive of many accidents and laws'are eing enacted by the States making-it unlawful to drive machines without some protection to the driving public.

It is the object of my invention to provide a device so simple in construction as to make it possible to put it upon the market at a modest price within the reach of all and yet so e'ective in action as to meet the requirements of the most rigid law in force or contemplated. The use of my device in connection with the headlight of an automobile will absolutely prevent the reected light from dazzling or blinding the eyes of the driver of an approaching machine.

.At the same time I aim to utilize every particle of light upon the roadbed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a headlight of ordinary construction showing the embodiment of my improvement.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the attachment of my invention While Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.

In Fig. I the headlight casing is shown at c and the ordinary reflector at b. My invention is really an attachment of very sim ple form adapted to any type of headlight and in I `ig. 1 is shown in place. 'Ihe bulb c has its socket d passing through an opening in the reflector surrounded by a collar e and through this passes an ordinary screw f which retains the bulb in place.

lily attachment as shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3 comprises a simple sheet metal vplate curved to approximate the curve of the lower wall of the reflector and in front view it approximates a triangle, terminating at its upper corner in a semi-cylindrical projection g with :1n-opening therethrough for the passage of the stem of the bulb. A spring h extends between the disk g and the wall of the reflector tending to keep the disk closely Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 1, 1917.

Serial No. 183,960.

longitudinally and laterally, this being preferred for the reason that the curved surface Patented lFeb. 5, Idil..

I found diffuses the light more perfectly than a flat. surface, though I do not limit myself solely to the use of curved surfaces but prefer the curved surfaces because of the better results. In order to take care of the direct rays of light I utilize a colored disk m placed immediately in rear of the bulb and fastened to the disk g in any suitable manner but preferably by integral projections n bent out of the metal of the disk.V

I prefer to bend over the edges of the triangular sections as shown at o to make the device easy to handle in assembling and to stiffen it. It will be seen as shown in Fig. l that the stepped and curved plates Ic receive and reflect 'i he rays of light upwardly to the reflecting surface p and then downwardly upon the road, while the interposition of the metallic reliector z' between the bulb and the lower silvered surface prevents the reflecting of thel downwardly extending rays outwardly and upwardly and thus there is no reflection to interfere with or blind the oncoming driver. f

My attachment is capable of being applied to any headlight and by an unskilled person, and solves the problem of a simple and effective means for preventing blinding headlights; so cheap as to be within the reach of every one, and so simple of application as to require no skilled labor to put them in place. y

While I have shown my invention as an attach-ment I think it will be plain that the invention is broader than a mere attachment and is capable of application in the original manufacture of the ordinary silvered reflector as now used, by providing the bottom ranged as to provide for this whereby the downwardly projecting rays will be kept within the line of the headlight and thrown downwardly to the roadbed from the upper surface of the reflector instead of being thrown outwardly and upwardly from the lower reflecting surface as now occurs.

What claim ls",-

An attachment 4for headlights of auto- 10 mobiles comprising a plate of approximately triangular shape, a series of curved sections cut out of the plate, each arranged in a different plane and adapted to intercept the light from the lower part of the reiicctor and to reflect it to the upper part, and each being curved longitudinally and from front to rear, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aix my signature.

WALTER W. LETTS. 

